Natural England review Defra Biodiversity Metric

01 Mar 2018

To help inform its initial thinking on updating the ‘Defra Biodiversity Metric’ originally developed for the 2012 Biodiversity Offsetting Pilots, Natural England has conducted a survey of a range of external stakeholders with an interest in the update, including local authority planners and ecologists, ecological consultants, developers, wildlife NGOs and Defra.

The survey has provided a valuable insight into the views of a range of stakeholders with an interest in this area of work. The results have shown that whilst there are differences of opinion over some aspects, there is a strong degree of consensus in many areas and this has helped Natural England reaffirm some of its initial thinking and identify new areas of focus.

Natural England is now putting together a plan for the first iteration of the metric revision since the Biodiversity Offsetting Pilots in 2012. This is largely on based on aspects where there is a strong degree of consensus around the need for reform. At the current time, Natural England is aiming to launch a revised metric in autumn 2018.